Why Can't I Tell Him
by Kemiix
Summary: Well I came up with this out of boredom, Ryou x Bakura Tendershipping, please R&R, Rated T just in case, i dont own yugioh
1. Monday

Oh Ra how Bakura hated Mondays. He had woken up in the worst possible way, on the floor face down, back sending up shots of pain. He gradually got up and realized he overslept. After that awakening, he then had to sort out a tangled matt of long, snow white hair that, because of humidity, was being extremely frizzy and fluffy. He found his cloths rather quickly, giving him foolish hope for the day. He then had to run a mad dash of breakfast and grabbing school tools before the bus arrived. He made it just in the nick of time to board the bus and fights his way for his usual seat in the back. He won this fight, with much of a mad scramble from other frantic kids on the bus.

Bakura sat patiently, chocolate eyes set dead on the window. He couldn't wait for RyRy to get here and he could tell him all about his night and his dream. He missed his hikari deeply; as usual he wondered if he missed him back. He wished so much he could tell Ryou how he felt, but his fear of rejection always seemed to triumph. Thus he watched Ryou from a safe distance, keeping them both from getting hurt. His heart felt so heavy and empty.

The bus came to a screeching halt and Bakura perked up instantly. A thin teenager wearing a striped blue t-shirt, grey jeans and a blue jacket boarded the bus. He looked like he'd never been in sunlight in his entire life. Beautiful white hair streaked behind him as he gracefully crossed the bus and sat next to Bakura. His soft voice seemed so fragile, it could have broken.

"Good morning, Kura", he said with a sweet, cheery smile.

"Morning", Bakura replied trying to imitate the sweetness.

"How'd you sleep", Ryou asked, like every morning.

"Good", Bakura replied, getting tongue tied. He always planned to tell RyRy his dreams but chickened out at the last second. How he wished he had nerves of steel.

"Great", Ryou replied.

Bakura knew Ryou hated it when he didn't tell him how he felt. But for Bakura, it was just too hard. Even if he could, what would he say, "I love you". He just was lost for words. If he could find a way to tell RyRy then he would. For now, he sat in silence suppressing his feelings into the black void of his mind.

The bus came to another screeching halt, and this time Ryou perked up. Bakura watched in confusion as a tanned boy with blonde hair, wearing sleeveless lavender hoody that cut off to show his stomach, and baggy black pants climbed on. He had golden bangles on the tops and wrists of his arms, and long earrings swayed side to side as he walked. He defiantly was a new kid.

His violet eyes were set on the back of the bus. Bakura first thought he was staring at him, when he realized his eyes were set on Ryou. Ryou let away a friendly wave, and the tan boy eagerly waved back. He sat in the seat across from Bakura and his hikari and he and Ryou began talking immediately.

"Hi Marik!" Ryou said happily.

"Good morning Ryou", Marik said, returning the joy.

It made Bakura want to puke, but he kept listening pretending to be zoned out of this world completely. When really, he couldn't be more there. They chatted about school, home, pretty much every single thing they did yesterday. Marik even talked about his dream.

"I was riding a gryphon, and you were riding it too Ryou, and we killed an Egyptian, and then got ice cream", Marik said proud "What was your dream Ryou?"

Ryou turned slightly pink and flashed a glance at Bakura. "You weren't in it Marik, sorry", Ryou said kindly. He really hoped that Bakura didn't see.

"Why are you all pink and stuff", Marik said, poking Ryou's cheeks.

"I'm not all pink and stuff", Ryou protested. In a way he was right. By now he had turned red.

"Somebody's an embarrassed little limey, c'mon it can't be that bad", Marik said teasingly.

"I didn't have a dream", Ryou said lying, rembering the vivid images from last night. That dream that would never come true no matter how much he wished it. Bakura would never love him back.


	2. The Daily Events

Marik stared at Ryou. Ryou from just being responsive a couple of seconds ago had now gone into a blank and empty stare. The bus around them was shifting, for they had arrived to brace another 7 hour long day.

"Ryou", Marik said, rudely waving his hand in front of the albino's face. "Wakey wakey".

Ryou snapped back quickly with a shudder. He noticed Bakura had already left the bus. He was so quiet; he considered getting him a bell. He rushed to scoop up his things and made a hasty retreat off the bus with Marik tailing.

"Hello, forgetting someone!" Marik said, jogging to keep Ryou's pace.

Ryou was completely oblivious. He just wanted to get to class and snag a seat near Bakura as usual. Marik feeling ignored, marched off to find Yugi and the others for some kind of acceptance. Ryou flashed down the hallway alone, he made a quick halt to his locker and dropped off his bag. He then took a light skip into class, managing to slip in just before the bell. Bakura sat, reading as usual with lazy slumped back posture. Nobody must have wanted to bug him because the seat next to him was empty.

He hastily sat down trying not to disturb Bakura, but failed in the process. Bakura looked up and gave a smirk.

"So my supposed "good" hikari is nearly late", He sat the book down lightly on the desk, careful not to even leave a crease. He was used to this, for all he really ever did was read. He was not a social person at all. He would rather live in the land of fiction.

"Yea, I kind of…." His voice drifted into nothing.

"Well, you're not on the dark side yet until you skip school for a week", Bakura said grinning. "Sorry RyRy but you've got to try harder".

The teacher snapped her ruler harshly against the black chalky board. Her voice was like a thousand tiny needles to Bakura's ears.

"Now if we can knock off the pointless chatter and move into math", she scowled.

Ryou hated math more than anything. So instead, he pulled out a blank piece of paper and doodled like normal. The teacher didn't mind as long as he didn't talk over her.

Bakura on the other hand, made it his own personal duty, to irritate the teachers at all costs. He would throw paper wads; paper he stole from Ryou, at the back of her head whenever she turned around. He would then cut her off before she could finish a sentence. He continued this every day until she gave up on the entire class and let them have free time. She sometimes even cried claiming she hated her life. Poor Mrs. Keen.

It only took Bakura 5 minutes today. She was having some kind of trouble at home that helped the torture easier. She ran crying to her office as usual and locked the door behind her. 40 minutes of free time.

Ryou continued drawing, no longer caring about Mrs. Keen after so many times of this. Marik curiously peeked over his shoulder, and fixated on the moving lead. Bakura leaned back in his chair and stared at Ryou through drooping eyes. He was pretty tired, not an ounce of sleep last night was beginning to catch up with him. He fell asleep in the chair, Ryou paused and looked over with a faint smile.

The pencil in his hand moved furiously. Every low stroking swoop more solid than the next.


	3. The Hidden Talent

_Awwwww you guys are so sweet! Thanks for the reviews and really sorry about the chapters being so short, hope this one's super kawaii for you!:D_

As the pencil stroked paper Marik could only stare. How Ryou could draw so detailed was unbelievable. He got every feature of his sleeping dark side, even the little drop of drool seeping onto the desk as he slept. It looked as if it was going to jump off the page.

"Ryou, I didn't know you could draw so well!" Marik exclaimed, excited to see he showed an interest besides not speaking.

"This is nothing", He replied tucking it away into a lavender colored folder. "You should see what I do in art class".

"I can only imagine-"Marik began but was cut off by a head of blonde hair cutting in front of his face.

His voice had a heavy Brooklyn accent, and pushed Marik to the side with no second glace. "So the anti social British boy can draw", he said rudely.

Ryou was silent, he had always hated the way Joey talked down to him ever since he met him. Always cracking jokes that he was probably lonely because he didn't have any real friends.

"Leave him alone", Marik growled.

"And what are you going to do Ishtar?" Joey said and snatched the folder out of Ryou's trembling hands. Little did anyone know the commotion had awakened a certain white haired deviant who was now listening to every word. He was getting angrier by the second, but he wouldn't let it show, he must have the element of surprise on his side.

Joey dangled the folder way above Ryou's reach, and to his pleasure the hikari jumped and squirmed for it.

"Joey stop!" Yugi yelled from behind with his usual gang of friends backing him up. Joey was completely oblivious to them out of the joy of watching Ryou nearly cry.

"Awww poor baby", Joey taunted and laughed.

The next thing anyone knew, Joey was on the ground and his nose was running scarlet. Bakura was sitting on his chest punching him repeatedly. He had been like lightning; no one had even seen him move. The folder fell to the ground and was quickly scooped up by Marik. Ryou's face was still wet with tears as he grabbed Bakura's arm.

"P-please stop… don't kill him!"

Those simple words stopped Bakura's rage cold. He could feel his hikari's hand trembling.

"I know he's mean, but he doesn't deserve to die".

Bakura looked at Joey's blood on his hands, then he looked at Ryou.

"I'm sorry", he whispered so low only Ryou could hear. Then sprang up and hugged Ryou, in the process smearing blood all over the back of his sky blue jacket.

"It's okay", he whispered back, and accepted the hug.

Yugi and the others tried to wake their bloody mess of a friend. They shook him harshly until he eventually woke. He immediately regretted it because he woke to a speech on why not to be a bully.

Marik tapped lightly on Ryou's shoulder, taking him away from the hug. He kindly handed him the lavender folder and helped him dust off a bit. "Maybe you two should go the bathroom and try to get rid of the blood; we can handle Joey from here".

Bakura looked down at his shirt. He looked fresh out of a slasher film. Blood splattered from the knee of his pants to the collar of his blue striped shirt. It was so bad it might need bleach.

Ryou wasn't much better. From the hug he now had bloody smears all over his shirt and pants, even a little on his back.

"Good idea", Bakura muttered and led Ryou by the wrist quickly down the hall to avoid a scene. He failed miserably.

You could already hear kids whispering "I heard he killed Joey Wheeler" and "Those two aren't to be messed with". As if their reputations weren't bad enough, now they were killers. Circulating rumors only grew as they passed. Bakura rolled his eyes. Ryou looked relatively concerned.

"People are gunna think we are bad", Ryou said sadly.

His yami only chuckled. "People already know I'm bad, and maybe people won't pick on you if they think you're bad".

Ryou gave a shy smile. That same shy smile that reminded Bakura he was afraid of gossip.

"They'll be talking more about the field trip tomorrow", Bakura said, slyly changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, the one to the music history museum!" Ryou said excitedly.

"Exactly", Bakura said, returning the excitement.


	4. The Blame Game

_Well, today is my bum day. Danni stayed up all last night and now sleeping it off (poor girl was still awake till noon the next day). So today is my day off, that means new chapter. She had fun though!_

"I can't wait!" Ryou said with a gleam in his eyes. "I've been looking forward to that since-".

His voice was cut by a voice that was a mix of a rabid beast and a thousand crying birds.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

It was right behind them. It sent shivers up Ryou's spine and made Bakura jump. He quickly jumped behind Ryou protectively. His face whipped around to face someone he did not expect to see. A ragged mess of smeared eyeliner and bangs wet with tears. It was Mrs. Keen.

"We were just, uh", Bakura couldn't think of a good excuse without admitting to nearly murder. Ryou was frozen with half fear, half sinking regret.

"I don't care what you were doing, it's bad enough you smart off at me in class, but then you skip? That's it Bakura, you are-".

It was then a thin voice cut through the tension in the air, and melted it away smoothly. "Mrs. Keen… it was my fault", Ryou said looking her in the eyes.

She was momentarily stunned, but quickly pulled back her anger. "Ryou how could you! One of my best students, I thought you were better than this, explain yourself!"

Bakura stood there paralyzed staring at his hikari. He didn't want him to do this. Ryou shouldn't get in trouble for something he did; he was just an innocent victim! Ryou caught the look on Bakura's face. He quickly turned to him and mouthed "Please". Then he turned back to Mrs. Keen with a brave face.

"I… I had a prank I was planning. It was supposed to be funny! But then it went completely wrong and we got soaked in ketchup, as you can see. I'm so sorry Mrs. Keen but I wanted to help Bakura clean his clothes because I already feel bad and-".

"Enough!" Mrs. Keen cut in quickly. "You both are to blame for this, so I'm punishing you both. Detention, one week, starting today, do you hear me?"

The two both shook their heads, Ryou thinking they got off easy for the mood she was in. Bakura on the other hand, muttered "Bitch" when she was out of earshot. Mrs. Keen went back to tending to her class, sending the two boys to the restroom to finish what they started.

"That took so many guts!" Bakura said, washing his hands in the warm water of the sink.

"It… it was nothing", Ryou said blushing.

"No, it was everything", Bakura said. He brought a wet paper towel over to Ryou and started to rinse red from white. How he had managed to get in his hair was a mystery. There was no hope for cleaning Bakura's shirt right now. It was okay, he could live with a little blood. Ryou on the other hand looked quite disturbed at the mess of red on the front of his shirt.

Bakura gently removed his black jacket and handed it to Ryou. Ryou looked confused at first, but replaced it with the blue one. He handed the blue one to Bakura and he put it on quickly. Ryou looked a little better now, but it was lucky they both wore the same shirt size. They returned to class like normal.

The bell rang their freedom from Mrs. Keen and into lunch they plunged. Ryou and Bakura sat with Yugi and the others every day. Neither of them was very social except Ryou when Marik came. They always had so much to talk about, even when Ryou was a shy boy at a new school and Marik was a exchange student from Cairo.

Ryou thought about that day when he noticed a missing tan Egyptian from the table. They sent Tea to look for him, but nobody had seen him since when they left Mrs. Keen. Ryou was worried about his best friend.

That day was ordinary. The sun shone bright on the world with no holding back. The day seemed flawless as the pale boy walked nervously to his first day. If only his parents could see him now. A tear escaped as he lugged his backpack through the schoolyard. Years had passed, and he still couldn't bear it. He walked into the school with a fake smile. When really, He was crumbling on the inside.

Bakura wouldn't be here today, it was his tradition not to come on the first day of any school year. So Ryou had to brace alone, a whole new life.


	5. The Boy Named Joey

_Hey, I think this fic is dead… if you really want me to keep going review! Well summer vacation now that means more to right. I think I'm gunna start taking requests so any ideas? :D And please, I need a break from stories based on Bakura XD_

He really didn't want to do this. If he cut class with Bakura would someone notice? No, it would be too obvious if they both just "appeared" on the second day. Especially if they showed up being close friends. Those words burned him. Just "close friends" it made him wish even more they could be together.

He let out a heavy sigh and forced open the heavy double doors. The cool a.c. rushed his face giving him chills. He steadily moved into the gymnasium where they were instructed to stay until the day started. He slumped down into a bleacher tossing his backpack behind him and closed his eyes. Maybe he could get back the sleep he lost. His posture slowly slumped, he felt himself relax. Sweet sleep was taking him away.

BAM! Something hard slammed against his ankle, making him yelp in pain. He thrust his heavy eyes open to see a certain blonde haired boy standing over him.

"Who are you?" Ryou asked confused.

"Your worst nightmare fluffy", He said and punched Ryou in the stomach.

He knocked the wind out of Ryou. He coughed and sputtered for a couple minutes. "Why are you d-doing this to me?" He managed to choke out.

"Why don't you ask your best buddy Bakura", He said and dragged Ryou up by his shirt collar.

Ryou cried out in pain. Why him? He didn't even know this kid, and now he was being beaten again.

Joey slammed Ryou against the bottom bleacher, laughing when he began to cry.

Why wasn't anybody helping him? He managed to catch a glimpse of the room. Completely abandoned, school had already started. Ryou braced as Joey hit him in the face again. His eye now ached and would defiantly black. BAKURA SAVE ME! He screamed that over and over again and his mind but he knew he wasn't here.

But someone else was. Joey was about to slam Ryou into the bleachers when he was tackled from behind. Ryou was dropped on the floor like a rag doll sobbing. Joey was wrestled to the ground in seconds by this boy. He bent Joeys arm around his back handcuff style and sat on his back. He forced Joey immediately to tap out and scurry to class like vermin.

The bronze boy was quickly kneeling next to Ryou. "Are you alright?"

He got back thin mumbles and dazed looks from Ryou. The words were clear in his mind but for some reason they wouldn't form.

"I need to get you to the nurse, maybe even a hospital", the mystery boy said and threw Ryou over his shoulder. This boy really was strong. He trucked through the hallway, ignoring the yelling teachers and concerned faces.

He sprinted into the nurse's office out of breath. She nearly fainted at the sight of the bloody pale boy on his back. She did a quick examination of Ryou, and called 911. The ambulance hurried and alongside a cop car rolled. Joey was quickly apprehended, but because he was relatively a good student only got three days suspension. As for Ryou, he had a cracked rib.

The most memorable thing about that day was when Ryou was in that hospital bed.

The tan boy from school entered the hospital room once the day was over. In a way, Ryou's wish did come true, he got out of school. But at what price, his near death and an enemy he didn't even know.

The boy kneeled down next to the bed and extended his long, skinny arms. "Hi, my name is Marik, Marik Ishtar".

Ryou lightly shook it. "Thank you… so much for what you did earlier. Oh how rude, my name is Ryou".

"Nice to meet you Ryou", Marik said smiling. "Now if you don't think of this as rude", He pulled a chair beside the bed. "May I ask a question?"

"Sure, anything!" Ryou said, still grateful for being saved.

"Why did Joey want to hurt you that badly", Marik asked, his face was a mix between pity and deep confusion.

"So his name is Joey?"

Marik gave a weird look. "You didn't even know who he was?"

"Not a clue!" Ryou said pleading.

"That is so not like him", Marik said, confusion swallowing his expression.

"Tell that to my broken body", He said groaning.

"I wish I had gotten there sooner", He said sadly.

"At least you got there at all; I don't know what I would have done!"

"Marik smiled big, and from that moment they were friends.

Ryou was quickly snapped out of his day dream by Bakura telling him to get him food. The hikari obeyed hoping maybe this was an attempt for his attention.

Bakura was worried about Ryou. If Joey came back, which he always seemed to do, he could really hurt Ryou. Especially if it feel into the times he was away, like gym and art. He wished he could always protect him, but reality denied his request.


	6. First Kiss

_Not even I can leave a story without an ending…_

Ryou returned skillfully balancing two trays like a waiter. He got disappointed to see Bakura not paying attention. He attempted to set the tray for Bakura when his hand slipped, sending food careening onto the boy's cloths.

"Oh crap", Ryou said jumping back expecting an angry outburst.

"Uh, it's okay", Bakura said standing up. "I'll go clean it in the bathroom".

"I can help", Ryou said, feeling bad.

The two sprinted to the bathroom where Ryou grabbed a handful of paper towels. "Awww man as if your cloths weren't dirty enough".

He began to rub out the stains of grease and sludge when Bakura suddenly stopped. He grabbed Ryou's hand and stopped him from cleaning.

"What's going on", Ryou asked blushing a bit.

That's when Bakura kissed him. Ryou was surprised at first but melted happily into it. When he pulled away Bakura looked at him wide eyed.

"I uh…"

Ryou wrapped his arms around him and Bakura returned the hug.

"I will always try to protect you", He whispered in his ear.

"I know", Ryou whispered back.

The two walked out, hand and hand. Marik had appeared by the time they got back and clapped as they walked past.

Both of their wishes came true.


End file.
